TEEN TRENDS: IS YOUR TEEN PARTYING WHEN YOU AREN'T HOME?

You have to go out-of-town this weekend on business or to visit a sick relative, and your teen is begging you to let him stay home ALONE!! Can you trust him/her?

I have a guest blogger today, who tells you what to look for when you return home.

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR TEEN HAS BEEN PARTYING WHEN YOU AREN'T HOME:

If you have a teenager and are planning a trip out-of-town, even for one night, you should definitely arrange for your teen to stay with a friend or family member or have someone come over and keep an eye on things while you are gone. Even the most trusted teen needs some looking after when it comes to this subject. Studies have shown that teenagers don't use the logical part of their brain when they are making decisions.  They make emotional and spontaneous decisions that usually get them into trouble.

RED FLAGS TO LOOK FOR:   

• If you are out for the night, and your teen calls you several times just to say "hi" and keeps asking when you will be home, this is a bad sign.   
• A sticky floor or messy house when you get home is a sign that a party has taken place. When you walk in, do your shoes stick to the hard floor? 
• Your garbage can overflowing with soda cans and snack containers is a sure sign that multiple people have been at your house. 
• Does your teens' younger siblings have hush money or are the older ones suddenly doing chores or favors for their younger siblings? 

OTHER OBVIOUS SIGNS YOUR TEEN HAS HAD A PARTY: 

• Beer cans have been hidden in strange places like your kitchen cupboards.  
• Your yard has a large number of beer or soda cans hidden in the bushes. 
• As you drive into the driveway, you see a flood of teenagers running out of the house. 
• Your bathroom is splattered with vomit.

WHAT TO DO TO PREVENT TEENS FROM PARTYING WHILE YOU ARE AWAY:

Your teenager may mention to a friend he is having a party, and before they know it, your home could be full of teens that heard a parent wasn't home. If you have plans to be away for several hours at night or out-of-town, you should consider these options.:

• Consider installing motion sensors throughout your home.  If you have a home security system, many come equipped with features that will send you text messages on your phone when motion alarms are activated.  If your teen has a party and doesn't think about disarming the security alarms, more than one is likely to go off.
• If you have a security system installed, consider adding a wireless camera.  Many systems have small wireless cameras that can send images to your cell phone. 
• You may also ask a neighbor or family member to check in on your teen a couple of times while you are away.  If there is a party happening, they are sure to catch your teen in the middle.  
• Let your teen know that IF he throws a party while you are away, and it gets out of hand (underage drinking, etc.), he could be charged for furnishing alcohol to minors, and if anyone is injured, he could be help liable.

No matter your strategy, the important thing is to have a plan when it comes to teenagers. Any parent with teens understands that as much as you would like to, you can't always trust them to make the logical decision.    

This post was written by guest author Edwin who blogs over at Yourlocalsecurity.  You can find more home safety tips at Yourlocalsecurity.com

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